U-clip assembly

ABSTRACT

A spring retainer clip assembly in the form of a row of U-shaped sheet metal clips having arched crown portions and planar side legs, adjacent clips having their side legs in substantial faceto-face contiguity, and all of the clips being mounted on the underneath side of a flexible carrier strip which bridges the crown portions and is adhesively secured to the crown portions coextensively along the row.

United States Patent [72] Inventors Arthur Langas;

Harrison C. Lingle, both of Wilmette, Ill. [21] Appl. No. 854,037 [22] Filed Aug. 29, 1969 [45] Patented Oct. 19, 1971 [7 3] Assignee l-lartco Company Wilmette, Ill.

[54] U-CLIP ASSEMBLY 5 Claims, 10 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 206/56 AC, 206/56 DF [51] Int. Cl. B65d 73/02 [50] Field of Search 206/56 AA, 56 DF, 56 AC [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,862,612 12/1958 Brown 206/56 DF 2,693,875 11/1954 Chaffee 206/56 AC 2,566,062 8/1951 .laeger 206/56 DF 3,357,761 12/1967 Langas et al... 206/56 DF X 3,179,552 4/1965 Hauser et a1. 206/59 C 3,038,596 6/1962 Anstett 206/56 AA 2,180,500 l 1/1939 Bernstein 206/56 DF UX 1,026,050 5/1912 Reber 206/56 DF Primary Examiner-Leonard Summer Attorney-Shoemaker & Mattare ABSTRACT: A spring retainer clip assembly in the form of a row of U-shaped sheet metal clips having arched crown portions and planar side legs, adjacent clips having their side legs in substantial face-to-face contiguity, and all of the clips being mounted on the underneath side of a flexible carrier strip which bridges the crown portions and is adhesively secured to the crown portions coextensively along the row.

PATENTEDUCT 1s l97| I FIG-8 INVISNIUILS:

ARTHUR LANGAS HARRISON C. LINGLE Ill-CLIP ASSEMBLY This invention relates to the assembled arrangement of U- shaped, abuttingly suspended clips on a carrier strip or layer of pliant material subject to successive reformed use with various types of tool to secure wire elements in fixed juxtaposed relationship. One such type of a clip is formed for use in securing upholstery springs to bordering retaining wires.

Of recent years a number of patents have been issued for various forms of U-shaped clips for use with pneumatic-type tools for this just-stated purpose. Among such U.S. Pats. are Nos. 2,574,81 1', 2,929,069; 3,032,184; and 3,068,485.

A characteristic common to these patents is the need for a clip-delivery component integrated with a clip-reforming component.

Most of these patents disclose nested clips retained in stacks by various means such as wires, dimples, or the like. This configuration of clip assembly is in common use and has been felt to have the advantage of great strength and integrity because of the mechanical strength gained from the overlapped legs of the clips. However, clips assembled in this nested manner have the disadvantage of requiring an extra mechanism in all forming tools to accurately transfer the clip from the nested position to a position in, or under, the forming jaw. This delivery mechanism must have very close tolerances in order to pick up only a single clip and to accurately, with great speed, transfer the clip precisely into or under the forming jaw. These transfer mechanisms are usually made up of a number of parts and plague with inertia, wear and other jam-causing problems. This is particularly tree if the tools are rapidly cycled at high speeds. These problems, consequently, have-limited severely the use of magazine-fed nested clips for the above-stated purpose.

This invention involves a unique assembly of clips which pennits the forming jaw of a wrapping tool to have direct access to the end clip in a magazine. This arrangement of clips therefore entirely eliminates the need for an additional clip transfer mechanism. This assembly of clips also has excellent strength and shock resistance. These clips can therefore be used in a tool of extremely simple design consisting only of a forming jaw and magazine and provides a reliability not heretofore attainable.

The main objects of this invention are; to provide an improved assembly of U-shaped metal clips for direct feeding to a reforming tool for embracive positioning over a pair'ofjuxtaposed elements; to provide an improved assembly of U- shaped clips of this kind formed from flat, sheet metal stock; to provide an improved assembly of U-shaped, sheet metal clips of this kind in linear alignment especially adapted for tool-reformation over pairs of abutting wires; to provide such an arrangement of clips so adhered to a carrier strip or layer of pliant material of such durability and contact with the clips as will retain them so assembled for storage and/or transport subject to later use; to provide such an arrangement of U-shaped clips as will permit an indeterminate number thereof to be spiralled into a coil for direct feeding to a forming tool for successive reformation of the clips over the juxtaposed elements; to provide such a linear arrangement of clips on a carrier strip or layer of pliant material having such an inherent character and firm contact with each clip as will withstand the shocks of production, storage and shipment pending subsequent use with a tool; and to provide an improved arrangement of clips of this kind as will make highly economical the manufacturing and marketing thereof and exceedingly gratifying and profitable the use thereof by purchasers. In the adaptation shown in the accompanying drawing;

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pair of coiled springs bonded to a bordering retaining wire;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a conventional form of U-clip used for the purpose shown in FIG. 1',

FIG. 3 is an upside-down perspective of a preferred assembly of a plurality of U-shaped clips, such as shown in FIG. 2; secured in linear disposition by an adhered carrier strip of pliant material;

FIG. 4 is an inverted side elevation of such a group of U- clips clearly showing a carrier strip adhered over the crowns of the respective clips;

FIG. 5 is a much enlarged, end view, of what is shown in the dotted circle of FIG. 4, indicating the extent of the bonding of clips in alignment by a carrier strip or layer of pliant material involving a strip of material and an adhesive coating material;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a form of clip, different from that shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, capable of being adhered in a series the same as that shown in the other FIGS;

FIG. 7 shows a series of clips, of a still, slightly different form from those of FIGS. 3 and 6 and adhered together by a form of pliant material somewhat different in nature from what is shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of what is shown in the dotted circle of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 illustrates how an indefinite number of strip-supported U-clips can be spirally coiled for use and/or storage; and

FIG. 10 is an enlarged, diagrammatic view indicating how such an assembly of any of the U-clips, as herein shown, are adapted for direct delivery to a reforming tool for successive severance from the carrier strip or layer of pliant material, and reformed over a pair of wires, as shown in FIG. 1.

An assembly of U-clips, embodying the foregoing concept, comprises an indefinite number of clips ll arranged in aligned sequence by an adhere carrier strip or layer of pliant material 12, subject to spiral coiling for direct use with a tool T for successive severance of the clips 11 from the carrier strip or layer of pliant material 12 to effect reformation of the clips around a pair of juxtaposed elements such as wires.

The U-type clip 11, as clearly shown in the several figures, may be of several different forms, each having opposed planar leg parts 13 and 14 disposed outwardly from a supporting crown 15 on either side of a central axis. Slightly differing forms are illustrated in the drawings. The essential difference resides in either the relative disposition and/or form of the leg parts, as indicated in the several figures.

The difference in the leg parts 13 and 14 is their slightly angled disposition with respect to the crown 15 (FIGS. 2, 3, 5 and 9). Another difference in the leg parts may be their parallel disposition (FIGS. 7 and 8). Another difference provides for one of the legs being cut out so that one leg has a pair of transversely spaced prongs l6 and the other leg is cut away to form a single, medial prong 17.

Two types of the carrier strip or layer of pliant material I2 are shown in the drawings (FIGS. 4 and 5 and FIGS. 7 and 8, respectively). In either type the intent is to have this carrier strip or layer of pliant material 12 firmly adhered to a substantial, if not the entire, area on the crown of each clip 11 with the succession of clips in abutting disposition, as shown in the several illustration. Such carrier strip or layer of pliant material 12 may be of any composition, the nature of which will adhere firmly to the material from which the clips are formed, and at the same time possess enough pliancy to permit the facile feeding of the illustrated assemblies thereof to the tool wherein the clips are to be cut off with great rapidity.

In the adaptation of FIGS. 3, 4, 5 and 9 the carrier strip or layer 12 is a combination of a preformed strip 18 with an interposed adhesive substance 19. In the adaptation of FIGS. 5 and 7 the carrier strip or layer 12 is an adhesive substance 24 per Basically, the purpose for any of these adaptations is to have the carrier strip or layer 12 applied over the major, if not the entire, crown of each clip 11, with successive clips abutting.

Whatever their form, such U-clips are arranged in aligned sequence with an adhered carrier strip or layer of pliant material 12, as herein illustrated and explained. Such formed and arranged U-clips are especially adapted for use in anchoring two elements-such as wires-in abutting relationship as shown in FIG. I. The strip 18, when used, presently found to be most suitable for this purpose, is a polyester plastic tape of /2 mil thickness. As a rule the width of such a strip is but little less than the width of the clips wherewith the strip is used. The adhesive 19 found most suitable for this purpose is a pressuresensitive adhesive although heat-activated or solvent-activated adhesives can be used.

Four advantages are inherent in either of the illustrated and explained sequential arrangement of such U-clips. First, the strip embraces substantially all of the crown of each clip 11 resulting in excellent assembled strength. This is very apparent from FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 7. Secondly, each clip, as it comes into position for ejection over the juxtaposed wire, is retained perpendicular to the carrier strip or layer of pliant material and to the moving plunger of the tool. Thirdly, it is possible to spiral an indefinite number of so-arranged U-clips into a coil-as shown in FIG. 9-for use and/or storage. As an extreme fact, in this respect, such a coil of these thusly supported U-clips could be extensive enough to keep an automatic clip-reforming machine operating for an entire workday. Fourthly, the clips are fed directly to the former 20.

In general use, either of such a spiralled group of these thusly mounted U-shaped clips requires only that a container-housing such a coil-be attached directly to a tool T with the lead clip 11 in position for severance by the plunger 20 (FIG. 9). The operator, using the tool, has only to grasp the tool handle, place the tool over the wires that are to be secured in place, and pull the tool trigger. The arcuate-shaped pocket 21, in the plunger 20, moves to embrace the crown of the lead clip concurrently with the knife edge 22 severing the layer of pliant material 12 between the adjacent clips, as shown in FIG. 9. The plunger retracts, instantly, ready for the advance of the next U-clip as quickly as the trigger can be pulled again. In ordinary use for this type of work such bonding of juxtaposed wires can be effected at the rate of l to 2 per second.

With regard to FIG. 9 note should be taken of the provision of a slight chamfer 23 to ensure the release of the advance clip as the knife edge 22 of the tool T severs the layer 12 of pliant material.

Variations and modifications in the details of structure and arrangement of the parts may be resorted to within the spirit and coverage of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A spring retainer clip assembly for use in the magazine of a clip-clinching tool and adapted to be fed endwise from such magazine, said assembly comprising a plurality of identical U- shaped sheet metal clips having arched crown portions and depending planar side legs, said clips being arranged in a longitudinal row with their axes extending in spaced parallelism and transversely of the row with the side legs of adjacent clips disposed in substantial face-to-face contiguity so that the crown portions collectively establish an upwardly facing undulatory surface of generally cycloidal configuration, and a carrier strip coextensive with and overlying said row of clips and having spaced regions therealong projecting into and adhesively bonded to the existing through regions of said undulatory surface in intimate coextensive contact therewith.

2. A spring retainer clip assembly as set forth in claim I, wherein said carrier strip is in the form of a length of pressuresensitive tape.

3. A spring retainer clip assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said carrier strip is in the form of a homogenous adhesive which substantially fills said through regions.

4. The clip assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein the assembly is spiraled into a coil for storage and/or use in a tool.

5. The clip assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein one leg thereof has two projections separated by an opening and the other leg has a single projection opposed to the opening.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,613,878 D t October 191 1971 Inventor) Arthur Langas and Harrison 0. Lingle It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column A, line 21, for "through" read trough Column 1 line 28, for "through" read trough Signed and sealed this 20th day of June 1972.

(SEAL) .Attest:

EDWARD PLFLETCHER, JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents DRM PO'1O50"O'59) USCOMM-DC 5O376-P69 U S GQVERNMENT PRIN'HNG OFFICE I959 0-35633 

1. A spring retainer clip assembly for use in the magazine of a clip-cliNching tool and adapted to be fed endwise from such magazine, said assembly comprising a plurality of identical Ushaped sheet metal clips having arched crown portions and depending planar side legs, said clips being arranged in a longitudinal row with their axes extending in spaced parallelism and transversely of the row with the side legs of adjacent clips disposed in substantial face-to-face contiguity so that the crown portions collectively establish an upwardly facing undulatory surface of generally cycloidal configuration, and a carrier strip coextensive with and overlying said row of clips and having spaced regions therealong projecting into and adhesively bonded to the existing through regions of said undulatory surface in intimate coextensive contact therewith.
 2. A spring retainer clip assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said carrier strip is in the form of a length of pressure-sensitive tape.
 3. A spring retainer clip assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said carrier strip is in the form of a homogenous adhesive which substantially fills said through regions.
 4. The clip assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein the assembly is spiraled into a coil for storage and/or use in a tool.
 5. The clip assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein one leg thereof has two projections separated by an opening and the other leg has a single projection opposed to the opening. 